MSU student abduction attempt determined a hoax

STARKVILLE – A Mississippi State University Police Department Investigation determined a female student’s claim that she was the victim of a Sept. 11 abduction attempt was a hoax.

“When interviewed, the student recanted her account of her initial report to the MSU Police Department,” said MSU Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois.

He said the student faces criminal charges for filing a false report.

The MSUPD received a report at about 11 p.m. last Wednesday from a student who claimed she was walking behind Sessums Hall when an unidentified male jumped from between two cars and attempted to grab her. The victim claimed to have shouted for help and that a second male responded to the cries for help.

Bourgeois said the report was a fabrication.

MSUPD responded immediately and secured the scene. A preliminary campus search for the perpetrator began, and the department implemented its process for verifying the immediate safety of Sessums Hall and other residence halls.